Sprite
Biography Sprite is the leader of the Sauropod's helpful dimorphodon flight crew. He is brave, loyal, practical, and always ready to help his captain whenever he needs to. He appears to be especially close to the ship's alarm pterosaur, Terri Alarmosaurus, and is often found comforting her when things seem to be at their worst. Like all pterosaurs, Sprite is unable to dream. He apparently has authority over the Sauropod when Teggs and his chief officers are not on board. His own deputy is named Dactil. Despite his usually minor role in the Astrosaurs books, Sprite has become a fan favourite. Appearances Sprite first properly appears in The Skies of Fear (although he is implied to have always .]]been present in the background), where he explained the nature of The Long Squawk to Teggs, Arx, Gipsy, and Iggy. Sprite accompanied them on Squawk Major, and was briefly suggested as a potential High Flapper, but quickly lost his ability to fly to the evil Grandum. However, the plucky pterosaur built mechanical wings for all of the Sauropod pterosaurs to overcome Grandum's hypno-beam. He gave Gipsy the idea that allowed the astrosaurs and their flying friends to break into Grandum's lair and battle the wicked monster's mammoth workers. After Grandum was defeated, Sprite got his power to fly back along with all of the other pterosaurs. In Day of the Dino-Droids, Sprite courageously flew into a hole Arx and Teggs made in the Teggs-droid during their fight with the robot and picked it apart from within, causing it to explode just as Sprite left its body. He and his flight crew also aided in the capture of the renegade dracopelta Draxie. Sprite helped Teggs and Iggy fight Tonka, Marvin, and the other mammoth wreckers in The Planet of Peril, tricking the mammoths into lowering their guard. Sprite pecked Tonka, who mistook him for a parakeet, on the trunk himself. In The Star Pirates, Sprite accompanied Iggy and Gipsy during their quest to save Teggs and Arx from Spiny Jim and his pirate crew. Gipsy helped Sprite get away from Jim, and the little dimorphodon warned Teggs of her predicament. Teggs and Sprite appeared in the Gold Magnet room, and Sprite battled Pollysaurus, Spiny Jim's pet, in the air. He later fainted when poisonous smoke got into the room and he hit a heating grille, but woke up in time to help blow the gas away. Sprite had a small appearance in The Claws of Christmas, in which he went on a spacewalk and assisted Teggs in examining General Loki's stolen presents (that the velociraptorcarelessly dumped in space). Sprite made a background appearance in The Sun-Snatchers-he warned Arx Orano about Grakk the solawurm's departure from Hawn from the Sauropod using a communicator. Sprite's latest major appearance was in The Dreams of Dread, in which he almost was sucked into space when a dream meteor hit the Sauropod, but was strong enough to hold onto Teggs and protect the other dimorphodon. Later, Sprite, Terri, and all of the other dimorphodon were taken prisoner by General Loki, who needed them to control the Sauropod for him, as they were the only astrosaurs immune to the meteor's effects-they couldn't dream. Sprite managed to free himself while Teggs was fighting the raptor on Mallakar, urged Teggs to distract Loki, and then saved his friends as well. Together Sprite, Terri and the dimorphodon battled Loki's pet kraggle-scruncher and later Loki himself in his giant metal suit. Sprite dropped a giant chunk of space rock on the raptor's head, stunning him and allowing Teggs and his crew to capture him. Sprite had a minor appearance in The Robot Raiders, in which he and his dimorphodon had a scuffle with Iggy's brother Wimvis. He later rescued the astrosaurs, Wimvis, and Rennia from Metka when the Main Computer attacked them, piloting Shuttle Beta. In The Sabre-Tooth Secret, Sprite accompanied Teggs on board the Lightning Bolt, and is present while Teggs, Gipsy, and Iggy encounter Fangal and the sabre-toothed cats on board the old ship. Sprite successfully restrained Fangal by sealing up the astrosaurs' shuttle. He later helps the astrosaurs, Fangal, and Wettus fight the Battalasks by freeing Arx, Jodril, and some ankylosaurus. This book provides readers' first look at Sprite's battle armour - metallic covering for his wings (weapon-wings) and a beak-blaster. In The Forest of Evil, Sprite accompanies the astrosaurs on Noxia-4, and helps them find Krokk and Gucklock's Solar-Storm warship. He later helps Yokul, Leefer, Frisbee, and the fearblooms defeat a group of giganotosaurus. Sprite appears briefly in Earth Attack!, in which he and the other dimorphodon help to distract a group of carnivores on Mars while Teggs and his crew deal with General Loki and correct their timeline. Trivia * Sprite could be a fifth main protagonist, but he does not appear specifically in all of the Astrosaurs books. * The word "sprite" refers to a lively, elfish person, which fits Sprite very well. * Unlike the other Sauropod dimorphodon, Sprite has thick black stripes on his beak. He also appears to be an astrosaur himself. * Sprite is a Dimorphodon macronyx, a small Jurassic pterosaur first found in England. * Sprite is the only protagonist who is not an herbivore - ''Dimorphodon ''were carnivorous. * Sprite is the youngest named astrosaur on board. * Sprite looks quite different from a real ''Dimorphodon ''- real ''Dimorphodon ''had short, puffin-like beaks filled with sharp teeth and long, stiff tails used to help them steer. * Although he is called a "dino-bird", Sprite is a pterosaur, related to but not a dinosaur - however, he is still more closely related to birds than any living reptile, since birds are considered a surviving group of dinosaurs. Category:Astrosaurs Category:Heroes Category:Crew members Category:DSS employees Category:Pterosaurs Category:Dimorphodon Category:AOTMs Category:Carnivores